No More
by Cannonade
Summary: They've been on Rura Penthe too long, but it's finally time to escape! Contains some violence and Nero/Ayel slash
1. The Right Moment

**No More**

**Chapter 1 – The Right Moment**

Ayel had noticed how Nero had become distracted of late. But who was to blame him. They'd been imprisoned in this miserable place for years that go past uncounted and unwanted. All of them were nearly at their limit now. They were desperate for the comfort of a home they knew still existed. But Ayel knew deep down that it wasn't meant for them. No matter how much he longed to return home; to view beautiful Romulus from the Narada's orbit, to breath the fresh air, to watch the sun set over the Apnex sea and to just simply _live_. But it wasn't meant to be. He knew Romulus had not yet been destroyed in this time. But it had been. As Nero had said, if it hadn't happened, they wouldn't remember it. Romulus was dead. He still saw it every night.

The Romulans continued to work hard in the mines of Rura Penthe, under the constant watch of the Klingon Guards. Ayel stood for a moment to watch Nero as he worked further along from where he was. His lean, well-toned and tattooed body glistened with sweat under the harsh lights and his eyes were pitch black and focussed. The Captain had been quiet recently, rarely speaking to Ayel through the telepathic connection they shared. He only seemed to communicate with actions now, as it had been for the past few weeks. Ayel narrowed his eyes as he watched Nero strike at the rock face with the pickaxe, his muscles flexing gracefully and showing off that magnificent form of his. He was up to something.

"What's up Romulan?" drawled the closest guard. "Had enough?"

Ayel stared at the Klingon, looking straight through him. "Why bother asking?"

"Don't you take that tone with me! Are you asking for trouble?"

Ayel's gaze turned lazy and he shrugged. "Not particularly."

He went to walk away, but the Klingon grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. Some of the other Romulans turned round quickly, torn between running, getting back to work or causing a riot. Nero however, seemed oblivious.

"You're always trouble!" the Klingon hissed. "Like your Captain!"

"If you say so."

Ayel shoved the Klingon away and brushed himself off, watching as the guard clenched his fists. He wanted to rush at him and strike him down for his attitude. But Ayel didn't care. So long as they left the rest of the crew alone, he didn't care. So long as they stopped taking Nero away for weeks and bringing him back half dead, he didn't care.

"You have guts Romulan, I give you that," the guard sneered.

"I imagine so," Ayel noted, blandly. "I've been here long enough."

The alarm sounded at that moment to signal the end of the shift. Fortunately, none of the Romulans had merited a twenty four hour shift this time. Ayel glanced at Nero again, who was stood still staring hard at the rock face. He tried to read him, but his ability was not as great as the Captain's. He could enter his mind anytime, even _anywhere_. Ayel shivered a little before heading towards the exit. When Nero was taken away, Ayel had often been surprised to find him easily getting into his head. The surprise was always somewhat exhilarating.

_"Am I _that_ much of a distraction Ayel?"_

Ayel flinched a little from the shock of hearing Nero's voice in his head. He looked round and saw that his Captain was there alongside him, not looking at him. Of course, it was no surprise that Nero had been able to hear what he had been thinking.

_"Are you planning something?"_ asked Ayel.

Nero's eyes narrowed. _"You should know the answer to that."_

_"I suppose you would know that. Just don't get yourself hurt again, Nero."_

_"I'm only waiting, for now."_

_"Waiting? For what?"_

_"The right moment."_

As they walked along the corridors back into the prisoner's common room, Ayel was pressed closer to Nero by the rush of the other prisoners. He felt his breath catch in his chest as he sensed Nero's warmth and smelt his skin. A pleasant shiver ran up his spine and in that moment, his eyes locked with the compelling darkness of his Captain's. Ayel never doubted for a minute that Nero knew exactly how he made him feel.

_"Come with me,"_ Nero told him.

Once back in the common room, Nero left for his cell, Ayel following him as ordered. This was the same thing Nero often did since the past few weeks. They'd spent a lot more personal time away from the rest of the crew of recent. Not that the crew were suspicious of it, Ayel just didn't want them to feel detached. But their loyalty was undying, just like his.

_"Ayel,"_ Nero's voice was unusually soft. _"Don't worry."_

He looked away for a moment. _"Of course not, sir."_

Once back in the cell with the door shut behind them, Ayel waited in anticipation of what his Captain's actions would be. He instantly felt warm hands pressing him back against the wall and the feeling of hot, moist tongue on his ear tip. One side of his face was cold against the damp wall, contrasting oddly with the warmth of Nero's breath on the other. Possessive hands turned him round until his face was full of Nero, ragged breath followed by wet tongue on his chin, trailing upwards. Ayel breathed out a sound of pure need, closing his eyes as Nero's tongue slipped into his mouth and their lips met.

He was hard already, almost as much as Nero. This was always so welcome after working all day in the mines. Ayel squirmed in Nero's arms as he felt his teeth sink into his lower lip, copper green blood trickling out. Nero tasted it with his tongue before withdrawing and taking in Ayel's expression. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips and he leaned further into Ayel, his hands pulling at his shirt. He ripped the thin fabric clean from his frame, his hands exploring and his nails clawing at the intricate black marks on his shoulders. Nero lowered his head, his lips and his tongue tending to the areas where his hands were absent. Ayel raised his head a little, moaning and arching into Nero.

_"You've wanted this all day Ayel,"_ Nero's voice invaded his mind.

_"Captain Nero..."_ his thoughts were jumping all over the place.

_"Do you need me, Ayel?"_

What a question. _"Nero..."_

_"Because I need you. Tell me, Ayel. What do _you_ need?"_

_"I need you, Nero. That is why you must not die here."_

Nero smiled, the first smile that had been on those lips in many years. Ayel did the same, feeling for a moment that his Captain had come out from the shadows. He was up to something, he knew it, but right now it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered as he felt the rest of his clothes ripped away from him and his back pressed against the cold floor of the cell. Ayel watched, but was unable to predict the exact intensity of the sensation that coursed through his body at the touch of Nero's warm flesh against his. He closed his eyes, groaning as Nero rocked against him and leaned forwards, biting hard into his ear. The blood felt warm on the back of his neck and Nero followed the flow down, licking and biting his neck.

Excitement flooded Ayel's veins as Nero's thighs shifted, spreading him wide to the point where he was begging. Nothing mattered now, not even Rura Penthe. Nothing seemed depressing as Ayel felt Nero over him, inside his body, inside his _mind_. In these moments of pure bliss, it was almost as if none of it ever happened. Romulus wasn't dead, they could return to the Narada and their lives and just _forget_. Oh, but Nero's invasion was always so sweet and so complete, Ayel thought as Nero's teeth bit down on his nipple. He arched into Nero with a longing groan, feeling his nails scraping against his sides, feeling him hot and hard inside him.

_"Soon Ayel," _ Nero's voice was a whisper in his thoughts. _"Soon."_

Ayel couldn't stand it as his hands moved to attend to himself, wanting Nero to take him over the edge. In the last few moments, Nero demonstrated stamina that Ayel believed was impossible given the length of time they'd been imprisoned. But that thought seemed for a moment so meaningless as he let go, feeling Nero do the same. Ayel rolled onto his side, Nero laying down behind him and curling into him. He closed his eyes, feeling Nero's fingers caressing the tattooed patterns on his back. It felt relaxing, the scraping of nails followed by the wetness of tongue and the grazing of teeth. Nero was still so restless, but Ayel wanted to sleep.

_"I'm feeling it now Ayel,"_ Nero murmured. _"Can you?"_

_"What?"_

_"The right moment."_


	2. The Wait is Over

**_Notes:_ **_This part was influenced by the recently leaked deleted scene. I wasn't planning on writing the escape, but made it clear it would be a piece of cake for them!_

---

**Chapter 2 – The Wait is Over**

It felt suddenly cold. Dark and cold, yet it had been pleasantly warm before. Ayel stirred and opened his eyes seeing the damp walls of Nero's cell. He shivered as an icy draft blew against his naked body and he curled into a ball, his hands grasping his shoulders and his knees against his chest. It was so cold. Then he remembered; Nero. He turned over, but his Captain was nowhere in sight. He sat up and looked around, rubbing his eyes to correct his blurred vision. Nero was not with him. His clothes and drawings were also gone. The guards must have come for him during the night and taken him away for another long interrogation.

Ayel put his clothes back on to be prepared for when the alarm sounded to get them back to work. His body ached and he was still able to recall exactly how Nero made him feel. There were scratches on his sides that were still swollen and his ear still throbbed a little from where Nero had bitten into it. All of this was still so fresh. It was enough for Ayel to believe that his Captain would be coming back. It was enough to believe that the long nights of intense sex and the comfort of curling into Nero's hot body was not just his mind trying to shield him from the misery that was Rura Penthe. That Nero wasn't really dead somewhere and he had become lost in fantasy, desperate for someone to hold on to. Eventually, the alarm sounded and Ayel sighed as he left his cell to get back to work. He stopped for a moment, staring along the corridor.

_"Nero,"_ he thought. _"Where are you now?"_

---

Nero heard the sound of the doors open as he lay there, strapped to the table. He didn't allow the smile to spread to his face. It was the right moment. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the Narada begin to wake from her slumber. She was hungry, just like her crew and she knew Spock was coming. She would lead them to him. Then he searched for Ayel, who was busy working in the mines, waiting, worrying. His eyes opened to take in the surroundings of the interrogation room, darting around to count the guards. There were three, including his interrogator. He narrowed his eyes as he returned his gaze to the ceiling. Easy.

"I'm afraid to say Nero," the Klingon drawled. "But this will be your last interrogation."

Nero silently agreed. They'll never see it coming.

"We found these drawings in your cell last night after you'd fallen asleep in the arms of that..." he trailed off, sneering. "_Cute_ first officer of yours. You say you are from the future and that you are looking for a man; Ambassador Spock. You say he has a weapon you want."

Nero remained silent, feeling the frustration building in his interrogator.

"Tell us of this weapon, Nero! What does it do? Why do you want it? After all, you're supposed to be miners. What would simple miners want with a weapon? In fact, what would simple miners want with a Vulcan Ambassador?"

Nero continued to stare at the ceiling, never speaking. After a moment of observing Nero with those cruel eyes shadowed under the helmet, the Klingon moved away to the back of the room. Nero tilted his head, watching his movements carefully. The guard came back over carrying a dish with a creature squirming around in the centre.

"Centaurian Slugs," the Klingon stated. "They're good at clawing their way out of dark places. With this, we will make you talk. You will tell us your secrets. Your long silence ends right here, Nero."

Nero glanced across at the creature before turning his gaze back to the ceiling, twitching his upper lip and narrowing his eyes. If it was just more pain, he would endure it. After all, he'd endured for almost twenty five years.

"Cooperate with us Nero," the guard continued.

He picked up the slug with a pair of pliers. "It will spare you from a world of pain."

_No_. Nero locked his gaze on the shadowy ceiling defiantly, hearing the other two guards close in on him. _I will endure_. His mouth was being prised open now, the taste of the damp, musty room rancid on his tongue. He looked over to his interrogator as he raised the creature in line with his mouth. He looked away again, forcing himself to look anywhere other than at the guards. He heard the Klingon say something else, but it didn't matter. He hadn't said a word to them in twenty five years and he wasn't going to start now.

He felt the creature drop into his mouth and begin tearing at the soft flesh at the back of his throat. He closed his eyes, feeling the pain sear through him, but he did not cry out. Never would he show his pain to his interrogators. The pain began to burn until he could feel nothing else, apart from the warm blood flowing down his throat. He focussed his thoughts elsewhere. He saw Romulus torn apart as she was hit by the force of the supernova, destroying everything that he had. He saw Spock's face appear out of the fire; the object of his rage. He clenched his fists. _He's coming_. _The wait will be over_. He heard the Narada echo those thoughts, feeling her systems come back online. Then he thought of Ayel and his crew. Revenge was coming.

He concentrated on Ayel for a moment. His first officer, always loyal and always eager, was the source of his strength. He spoke for him when sharing information with the other prisoners; he always nursed him back to health after long periods of interrogation. He needed Ayel, and knew that he needed him. Knowing that fact always kept him in control, but that was the way Ayel wanted it. But Nero was brought out of his thoughts as rough hands grabbed him hard, the interrogating pulling off the straps binding him down. He was dragged from the cold surface and at this point, he fell limp, making sure the Klingons were off guard.

"Throw him into isolation," the interrogator snarled. "He'll speak to us soon enough."

The Klingons dragged him towards the door. _Now!_ With a cry of pure rage, Nero tore free from their grasp using all the strength he had saved up over the years. All the strength he had because of Ayel's support. He punched one in the jaw where the helmet exposed his face and kicked the second one in the solar plexus. He rushed at the interrogator, elbowing him in the stomach and taking the disruptor from its holster. The two guards ran at Nero, but he shot them down quickly before turning on the interrogator and repeating the action. He stood still for a moment, breathing heavily as he observed the dead Klingons, his eyes wide and his heart thundering with adrenaline. Nothing would keep him from his revenge. _Nothing_.

He bent down and took a second disruptor before he left the interrogation room and ran along the dark corridors. He reached out with his thoughts to locate Ayel, who had returned to his cell to rest. The rest of his crew were in the common room. This was a good setup. It would be easier to call a riot with the crew in one place and the Narada would know where not to attack. Eventually, he reached his first officer's cell and he opened the door, still keeping watch for any guards that were aware of his escape.

"Ayel!" he called.

Ayel turned round to look at him with surprise. But then he smiled.

"The wait is over," Nero told him.

Ayel got to his feet, Nero rushing into the cell and searching through one of the cracks in the wall. He found what he wanted and pulled out more papers, on which was a very detailed sketch that was heavily labelled. Ayel glanced at it over Nero's shoulders, watching as his Captain made some modifications.

"Is that the complex?" he queried.

"Yes Ayel," Nero replied.

"So that's what you've been doing all this time! That's why you disappeared for such a long time every so often!"

"I had to map the place slowly in order for the guards not to guess what I was doing."

Ayel would have kissed him, but it wasn't the time for that. "You should have told me."

"I'm sorry Ayel, but this was something I had to do alone. But believe me, you were of more help than you realise."

Ayel smiled. "I know when I'm needed, sir."

"Listen carefully. This is what we need to escape and we can do that here..."

He pointed at two spots on the map. "Or here. Now, this situation is ideal. The crew are all currently in the common room, which is an ideal place for a riot. We have two disruptors, but we have strength on our side. We cause a riot and then let the Narada do her work."

"The Narada?"

"Yes, not only did I work on communicating with you, but I perfected the ability to talk with the Narada. I told her when I needed her and she woke up. She's waiting for the riot to begin so she can start bombarding the surface, aiding our escape."

"Impressive, Captain Nero."

"Take this Ayel."

He handed him the disruptor.

"Can we make it?" Ayel queried. "You've tried escape so many times before."

"I know, to make myself appear weak," Nero explained. "They won't expect this."

No wonder Nero had been so distracted of late, if he was working on such an intricate plan which started twenty five years ago since they were first incarcerated. Ayel's respect for Nero could only grow. With all the sorrow and the rage he carried with him, it was incredible that he had been able to think so thoroughly.

"He's coming, Ayel," Nero stated. "The Narada knows where."

"Then once we get out of here, we'll find him? Spock?" Ayel replied.

Nero's eyes looked dangerous. "You know Ayel; I've been waiting for this day my whole life. This day of reckoning."

"We all are, Nero."

"We will have our vengeance. This I promise you."

Ayel shrugged and shook his head. "No, I promised you, Nero."

Nero looked at his first officer, appreciating the sincerity of his words. There was no doubt in his mind that he needed Ayel. But perhaps, he didn't always realise how much. He leaned into Ayel, who gripped onto his shoulders and moaned a little as Nero's teeth grazed his ear tip.

"Then keep that promise to me, Ayel," he whispered.

Ayel chuckled. "As if _you_ need to tell me that."


End file.
